Sash-fastener



W. DIEFPBNDERPER. SASH PASTBNER (No Model.)

No. 437,982. Patented Oct. 7, 1890 INVENTOR WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM DIEFFENDERFER, OF KELLY CROSS ROADS, PENNSYLVANIA.

SASH-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,982, dated October 7, 1890. Application filed February 27, 1890. Serial No. 341,977. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM DIEFFENDER- FER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kelly Cross Roads, in the county of Union and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sash- Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient device for supporting window-sashes at different elevations; and it consists in the construction hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a window with my improvement applied, and Fig. 2 is a vertical central section. Fig. 3 is a side elevat-ion of a modified detail; and Fig. 4. is a perspective of a detail, partly in section, showing the use of a spring-releasing pole.

To the upper part of the window-casing is fastened a rack-bar 1, made of metal, wood, or other suitable material. Preferably this 7 rack extends down to the lower crosspiece of the upper sash. In the present instance it is represented as bent at the top, and its outwardly-bent part 2 is secured to the windowframe above by screws. Any convenient fastening, however, may be employed. It can be so formed as to be screwed into the casing, a suitable rack for this purpose being indicated in Fig. 3. The lower bar of the upper sash and the upper bar of the lower sash are recessed at 3 and 4, respectively, and the lower end of the bar lies in the opening produced by these adjacent recesses when the window is closed. When either sash is moved, the rack-bar slides in its recess. This bar, if desired, can be extended to the bottom of the window and its lower end can also be secured to the window-sill without materially departing from the invention. I

5 indicates a spring pin or catch secured to the cross-bar of the lower sash and arranged to normally engage a notch 6 of the rack and lock the sash when the window is closed. To raise the lower sash, the spring-catch, which may be of any convenient form, is disengaged from the notch or hole 6, whereupon the sash can be lifted and the spring moved over the back of the teeth ready to engage one of them as soon as the sash is freed from the hand. To lower the sash, the spring catch is released from the rack-tooth.

7 is a spring-catch holding up the u per sash by the engagement with one of the teeth of the bar. To lower this sash, it is only necessary to lift the catch from its engagement with the rack, which may be done by a stick or rod, whereupon it can be drawn down to any desired distance and secured by allowing the catch to engage a corresponding tooth. The catch 7, as represented, is formed of a U -shaped piece of spring-wire, each limb of the U being coiled, and the free ends of the coils are secured to the sash-rail in such manner that the body of the spring embraces the rack. This forms a simple and stable fastening, and the limbs of the staple or U-formed spring embrace the sides of the rack and act as guides. The spring-catches can be attached to plates provided with screw-holes for securing them to the sash.

The fastening being applied at the transverse center of the sash, the latter is not liable to sag to one side.

The rack can be made of any convenient form and provided with raised teeth or with It is obvious that a single catch 5 could be used with a bar like 1, provided, preferably, with notches similar to 6, with the efiect of holding both sashes at any desired elevation.

In this improvement the devices which support the sash at various elevations can also be used to lock them when closed; and, further, though catches normally closed by springs are not essential to secure all the advantages of my improvement, they are deemed preferable, because they tend to prevent the rattling of the sash, which, therefore, can be made sufficiently loose to be easily moved.

My device can be used either with or without the usual counterbalancing-weights.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In combination, a rack-bar secured to the window-casing and the window-sash pro vided with a spring-catch secured to its up per rail and having its free end bent down- 5 ward in substantially U form to adapt it to receive the end of a releasing-rod, substantially as set forth.-

2. The combination of the window-sashes, the rack-bar secured to the window-casing,

10 the spring-catch on the lower sash adapted to engage the notch in the bar, and the springcatch secured to the upper rail of the upper sash on both sides of the 'rack and having its free end bent down to adapt it to receive a two-part wedge-shaped releasing device, sub- I 5 stantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM DIEFFENDERFER. Witnesses:

J. P. BROOKE, Tnos. H. GREEN. 

